Calling You From My Mountain
Rebel, 2022
8/10
Listen to Calling You From My Mountain
A seasoned veteran in the area of acoustic American music, Peter Rowan has enjoyed a 6 decade career that includes him nabbing a Grammy Award and inspiring legions of new musicians with his diverse version of bluegrass.
Here, Rowan is aligned with an all star cast, and guests like Lindsay Lou and Billy Strings, for a record that was inspired by Hank Williams’ Luke the Drifter and his seminal album When I Left Nashville in 1990.
“New York Town” by Woody Guthrie, gets the album off to a glorious start, where harmonizing vocals and warm string interaction makes for a superb bluegrass setting, and “Veil Of Deja Blue” follows with Rowan’s smooth vocals alongside Chris Henry’s sublime mandolin and Max Wareham’s fluid banjo.
Halfway through, “A Winning Hand” brings much beauty and eloquence to the poetic, country music landscape, while “Frog On The Lilly Pad” picks up the pace with meticulous guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo acrobatics.
“Penitentiary Blues (Big Brazos)” arrives near the end, and flows with a slower, emotive quality and “Freedom State Of Mind” exits the listen with a dreamy demeanor of timeless and mesmerizing songwriting that has comprised Rowan’s illustrious career.
Rowan’s band is made up of much younger players, and they bring much energy and are full of sharp ideas that illuminate the mountain music that Rowan has been at the forefront of for so many decades. Now 80 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down, and we’re all better off for it.
Travels well with: Lonesome River Band- Singing Up There: A Tribute To The Easter Brothers; The Grascals- Up All Night